


six impossible things before breakfast

by byzinha



Series: as strange as a normal person [6]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, OC Callie Hopper, OC Lexi Solaris, OC Maya Sinclair, OC Yí, T for language and some other naughty things, Urban Fantasy, Will is a Casanova pass it on, no need to read the previous fics to understand but it sure would help, pansexual Will is back
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-21
Updated: 2019-04-03
Packaged: 2019-11-26 15:57:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18182678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/byzinha/pseuds/byzinha
Summary: By the end of their last summer in Hawkins - before each one of them take their way to different parts of the country for college - things seem to be settled in the chaotic city they called home for so long, but it's the end of summer and a child's been missing again, stirring fear that weird things would start happening one more time.The Hawkins Axis might be broken and shut down, but does it means they're safe? And with the Party leaving, who could stay and save the town, if that day ever come?Three-shot of the Party passing the torch to the next generation, characterization based on previous fic "they just like to fight"





	1. T-Minus 3 days before they leave for college

**Author's Note:**

  * For [loveisourresistance](https://archiveofourown.org/users/loveisourresistance/gifts).



> About 2 years ago, when I finished writing "they just like to fight" and exhausted out of my mind, I watched season 2 of Stranger Things and an idea popped in my mind. I didn't want it to be another long-ass fic like TJL2F was, so I try to put it together in 3 chapters. That means that it might look like a bunch of photographs, but that's what I was aiming for.  
> I promised some of y'all I'd be writing it and that I'd publish before s03, and I did.
> 
> Now that the trailer for season 3 is out, I can finally show you what I've been up to the past month or so.  
> I'll be publishing one chapter per week, every Wednesday. It's only 3 chapters, so it's going to be quick. I hope you'll enjoy it! ^^ I'm a little rusty, but I'm trying my best.
> 
> Since this fic is a continuation, there are some things that you should be aware of. The other fics in this "as strange as a normal person" universe were written BEFORE season 2. That means there is plenty of canon divergence in then, which means there will be in this as well. For example, we didn't know Lucas had a sister in s01. However, I found a way to include Erica, and I hope it's not too much of a stretch, because she's such a great character and I wanted to explore her pov a little bit.  
> Also, many of my OCs from the other fics make a cameo here, because, well, why not. If you read the previous fics of the series, you might recognize them. If not, well... just roll with it and enjoy the ride ^^'
> 
> As usual, my beta-reader was Jenna (littlecajunlady). Title is from "Alice Through the Looking Glass".  
> I can't wait for the new season with all the amazing content it'll bring, and I bet you can't either! So while we wait, here's a little something. 
> 
> Without further ado, let's go into the chapter.

**(I)**

A cigarette in the morning, his mother always told him, was Hopper’s way, but Hopper had been Will’s male role model for a very long time now, and no one could blame him for mimicking the cop’s bad habits.

Of course Hop would have a chick (in that case, Will’s mother) in his bed instead of a guy, and he’d be broody about work instead of college, but at this point in life, the two of them, even though they had no blood connection whatsoever, looked more alike than one would think.

“That shit can kill you, you know?” Hercules said from the bed, eyeing Will. The door was locked, so they didn’t feel the need to wear any clothes. A cigarette and a Greek god who gave blowjobs like no other — that was Will’s kind of summer morning.

“So could peanuts if you eat too many, but no one is lecturing me on that, are they?”

Hercules got out of bed and walked in Will’s direction, joining him by the window. He was taller than Will (though it wasn’t too hard to be taller than him), with the kind of body a cross-country athlete with a scholarship for that would have. Will wondered how much Hercules had learned about being queer in Philly and if he’d have the same experience in Connecticut. The guy sure came back to Hawkins with a few new tricks, no doubt.

“Don’t you have a flight to catch before lunch?” Will asked, casually throwing the butt of his cigarette out the window and smirking at his companion. He loved him some throwback sex, but that was the thing about throwbacks — they weren’t supposed to stay for too long.

“So eager to kick me out, Byers?” Hercules replied and leaned down to plant an open-mouthed kiss on Will’s lips. His tongue tasted of cum and tangerines, which was a combination that only he could have.

“You know your dad will blame me if you’re late,” Will said as Hercules kissed down his neck and chest, and lower.

“Fuck that,” he said, paying special attention to the flames that covered half of Will’s abs all the way down to his hipbone, the base of the phoenix that symbolized how indestructible he was. “I really like this one.”

He was trailing a wet, dangerous path on Will’s skin, hitting some of his favorite spots until—

“You know what?” Will said breathily. If anyone passed by his window, they could totally see them, but that was the best part of living in the middle of fucking nowhere. No one would be watching. “You’re right, fuck that.”

 

Will saw Hercules off half an hour later, joined by none less than his baby sister Callie. Even though she was only two, it was as if she could _feel_ that her siblings would be leaving soon, because lately she’d been glued to Will and El. She talked more now and she was so smart… it was adorable. Truth be told, Will understood why Jonathan looked so heartbroken whenever he had to leave.

“Ellie?” Callie asked when he picked her up and Will shook his head no.

“Not yet, kiddo,” he said. “She’s at Mike’s remember?”

Pouting, she rested her head on Will’s shoulder and he rubbed her back tenderly. When he turned around to head back inside, she pointed at something.

“What’s that?” she asked and he turned around to see what she meant.

“That what?” Will asked. “The flowers?”

“No,” Callie said pointing at the tree line. “Someone looking.”

For the briefest of the seconds, Will saw it: a pair of white eyes lurking behind a tree under the shadow, against the morning light. As soon as it saw that Will had spotted it, it hid better, and a breeze ruffled the leaves of the trees.

Will was an amplifier, and up to this day he wasn’t sure how his powers worked, but he also had a keen nose, and he could _smell it_ from afar — the _thing_ lurking from the other side, waiting for the right moment to come out.

Experience told him that those things most likely weren’t friendly (things from the Upside Down had a bad reputation) and so Will held Callie tighter and rushed back inside, thoughts of missing kids posters all around town coming to the front of his mind; Will made a bee-line to the phone to call the Wheelers because he needed to warn El as fast as possible.

How terrible that that _thing_ decided to show up now, they were all leaving! And it was near his house which was worse. He didn’t want to see his sister taken and his family torn once again, they’d been through that kind of crap way too many times already, it wasn’t fair. Also, the Wheelers needed to pick up their ph—

“ _Hello?_ ” a girly voice said.

“Holly! Hey, it’s Will. Can I talk to El?”

“ _I guess so…_ ” she said vaguely, and distant from the speaker she called El’s name. “ _Will, how do you like pineapple juice?_ ”

That was some random question, but Holly was always good at making casual conversation. If he couldn’t talk to El immediately, might as well chat with his friend’s little sister.

“It’s good, I think. I’m a bigger fan of peach and lemon, though.”

“ _Peach and lemon?_ ” she asked, sounding doubtful. “ _Weird._ ”

“It’s more like… tea than juice, I’d say.”

“ _Huh…_ ” Holly hummed. “ _Ellie is here. Bye, Will._ ”

“Bye-bye,” he said, and quickly after, El was on the phone.

“ _It’s unholy early and Holly is baking cookies. What could you possibly be on about?_ ” she asked, as grumpy as she could get in the morning. Will took a deep breath.

“Well, you see… remember that thing we were talking about Hawkins being too quiet and the most eventful thing that happened to us was our dog dying?”

“ _Yeah, I mean,_ ” El said yawning. “ _One missing kid is actually kind of normal._ ”

“Yeah…” Will said slowly, putting Callie down, phone between his shoulder and ear. “Maybe not.”

On the other side of the line, El seemed to waken.

“ _Explain._ ”

 

Unfortunately, Will’s behavior caught his mother’s attention pretty fast, and she was way too familiar with the supernatural things that liked to happen in Hawkins to ignore his actions. As soon as he hung up the phone, she was on his side like glue.

“What is it, Will?” Joyce asked walking behind him as he went on to get his things.

It was too hot a day for jackets, so he opted for a black sleeveless shirt and a pair of jean shorts along with his All Star sneakers, pocketing his cigarettes and lighter, as well as his wallet and keys.

“Will!” Joyce exclaimed firmly, making him stop on his tracks. “Explain.”

“I _can’t_ explain,” he replied turning to her, the same answer he gave to El not so long ago. “I need El first because I don’t know what it is yet and she might be able to figure it out.”

“How on earth do you think El would figure it out, William?”

Will shrugged.

“Terry’s notes.”

And before his mother could protest, he was out of the house and jumping in the car, Joyce following him with Callie, holding her hand confusedly. They stopped in front of his car.

“Will!!”

“Don’t let Callie in the woods!” he shouted reversing out of there, hoping that El was ready to go. “I mean it, Mom! I’ll be back soon!”

Blocking everything else and fully alert, Will sped out of there with one thing going on and on in his head,, the subject of his late night talks with his twin for the past couple of months or so, as if they’d predicted it: that things had been too quiet, and they should've known better.

 

Priorities were such a big thing in Will’s life, one had no idea. As he turned in the cul-de-sac where Mike lived, slowing down considerably now that his adrenalin levels were downing, enough to take a good look at the “MISSING” signs on every light post since the middle of summer, he spotted a familiar black car next to Lucas’s Jeep, and the familiarity of the scene — the luggage rack open and the boxes filling the porch — gave him a strong feeling of _déjà vu_.

He made the U-turn a little bit too fast but with precision and parked nose-to-nose with Lucas’s car, already hopping out to help the now woman.

Maya Sinclair was accompanied by another girl much younger than her, with lighter skin, more to their mother’s side of the family. Erica. Will hadn’t seen her since she was pretty much a baby, and he wasn’t sure how old she was now. Maybe fourteen. Maya slowed down when she saw him coming in their direction, and a smirk played at the corner of her mouth.

“Will Byers,” she said with such calm that made him shiver with expectation.

Why had he come all the way here again? No idea.

“Maya Sinclair,” he replied as a way of hello, and her sister cleared her throat. “Erica.”

Maya’s younger sister eyed him up and down with a quirked eyebrow and not very impressed.

“I can’t believe white boys look the same everywhere,” she said with little to no interest and headed into the house with her nose high. Will couldn’t help but laugh.

“Don’t mind her,” Maya said shaking her head, and he hurried to help her with the box. “Oh, thanks for the hand.”

He couldn’t believe she remembered that. Will wondered if their meeting a couple of years ago was as vivid in her mind as it was in his.

“I didn’t think I’d see you here at this time and day,” he said and she shrugged walking with him to the house. She got one of the boxes from the porch.

“I wasn’t going to come. I have to leave for Houston in a couple of days, so it didn’t seem like a good idea. Erica was going to ride the bus, but dad was freaking out, and he couldn’t take time off work to bring her. Neither could mom.” He let her lead the way, and they went up the stairs towards the guest bedroom that was now filled with boxes. Will wondered how all of that fit in Maya’s Camaro. “And then Lucas said you’d all be leaving soon, and I thought, _it could be the last time I’d get to see Will Byers_.”

“Oh, you’re so full of shit!” he joked.

“I know, right?” Erica said. She was sitting on the bed, legs crossed, looking bored at her nails. “But she couldn’t shut up about you the whole freaking trip. It was really annoying.”

“You’re old enough to hear about boys now, sis,” Maya said leaving her box on top of a dangerously tall column of boxes. Will sat his on the floor. It was safer.

“Doesn’t mean I’d like to know about another mayonnaise dude who’d like to bang you.”

Maya sighed and Will gasped.

“Mayonnaise?” he exclaimed as if it really offended him. It actually didn’t, but it was really funny.

“Okay, asshole,” Maya said taking Will’s arm and dragging him out of there. “Just know that ‘Mayonnaise Boys’ are all the options you’ll have for the next four years. Good luck with that. Also, you can go get your shit yourself.”

“I take it she’s not happy to move here,” he said under his breath. From the room, he could hear Erica mumble something about wanting to move to New York instead.

“Oh, she’s livid,” Maya said as they went back down. They could hear Lucas’s voice from the porch. “But that doesn’t mean she gets to be a bitch.”

Will scoffed.

“I think she’ll make Hawkins High _her_ bitch,” he observed and Maya hummed.

“Most definitely.”

They stopped at the last step and Will looked at her. She seemed so mature, the lines of her beautiful face those of a woman now. Her hair had some lighter strands contrasting in the dark curls, and her eyes were incredibly dark. She looked like a legit goddess, and he was not exaggerating.

“It’s good to see you,” Will said, wondering if it’d be okay to touch her. Maya smiled, lips erotically full. When he last saw her — for those amazing three weeks that she stayed over with her uncle and aunt — he drew the hell out of her like crazy. Now, his fingers itched to draw her again.

Maya opened her mouth to reply, but before she could say anything, Lucas was pulling Will backwards by the shirt and dragging him to the door.

“There you are, Byers, what the hell, you call us and then you don’t show up. Of course you’re looking for a catch. Didn’t Hercules literally just leave?”

“Get off me,” Will complained, managing to free from his friend’s grip and straighten himself. They were at the porch, with Mike and El glaring at him with raised eyebrows and crossed arms. “Hey, guys.”

“Hey…” El started, but her eyes dragged to someone behind him and they widened considerably. “Hot damn.”

“Hi,” Maya said with a friendly wave. El looked stunned, jaw half-dropped. “I’m Maya, Lucas’s big cousin.”

“Hi…” El said looking at each one of them before turning to Mike. “It’s like he’s a lamp attracting flies, but the flies are hot people,” she confided on him, though they all could hear her.

“Thank you,” Will and Maya said at the same time, a hand to their chests, and then they both laughed.

“I’m Elle Hopper, by the way,” she said. “Will’s sister.”

“Try long lost twin,” someone behind them said, and they all looked over. Lexi Solaris came to them with the lightness and grace that only a gymnastics prodigy could have, even with her recently healed torn knee. “Hey Maya. Didn’t think I’d see you so soon.”

“So everyone says,” she replied sweetly. “How’s the knee? I heard about your UCLA camp.”

“Real fucked,” she said with a shrug that they all knew meant that she was beyond sulking, but didn't feel like sharing her misery. “Gotta postpone college for at least another semester.”

“Shit,” Maya said pouting. “But at least you’ll heal properly and will be able to return better than ever.”

They all knew the story, though. Of how, right before the national call back, during UCLA’s spring camp their junior year, Lexi landed badly and fucked her knee so bad she couldn’t step foot on the ground for _months_. El, who’d broken a leg not so long ago and almost didn't recover in time for hockey camp, was the closest to understanding what their friend was going through, but they were well aware that none of them could really get it — her loss; Lexi was meant to be big in the gymnastics world. She was eighteen now. Her time had passed.

The phone rang, startling them, and Mrs. Sinclair picked it up. It was a good distraction for them to start talking about lighter things, like Lucas’s trip to California with Max and how they could trust El behind the wheel all the way to Connecticut.

“Boys, it’s Dustin!” Lucas’s mother called from the other room, though she hardly was one to shout to you. Will supposed that would happen when you’re sending your only son to college, you’d act a little like you’re not yourself. “He said you could go there now.”

“What?” Lexi exclaimed annoyed. “I just came from there!”

“The exercise is good for you,” Lucas said passing by her and she growled. They were heading for the cars, but Maya didn’t move — which was good, because they couldn’t explain the nature of their meeting to her.

“Come on, I’ll give you a ride,” Will offered and then turned to Maya. She waved them off.

“I got to help Erica unpack anyway. See you later?”

Will smiled.

“For sure.”

 

“So you're saying,” El said at the edge of her seat in the Henderson’s living room. “That baby _Callie_ saw a monster?”

Will nodded and then shook his head.

“She saw _something_ , and pointed it to me. And maybe I saw _something else_ , but maybe not.”

“It was near your house?” Dustin asked. He was sitting on the floor while Jennifer slept on the couch. They didn't know why she was there, for all they knew, the two of them had broken up a few weeks ago, but by the way Dustin caressed her hair, it was hard to be sure.

“Yes, right at the tree line,” Will said again, even though he already had given them all the details. “It didn’t look very tall, but I’m not sure because it was hidden, could be crouching or something. It looked humanoid and it had white eyes… Real creepy shit.”

“And you didn’t take a better look at it?” asked Lucas, making Will sigh.

“I’m sorry, I wanted to keep my baby sister safe first,” Will replied annoyed. “I’ve seen way too many things to go to a forest with suspicious _things_ with a baby in my arms. I’m not that stupid.”

“Look, are you sure it was a monster?” Mike asked, trying to be the voice of reason. Will glared at him.

“Oh, he’s sure,” El said, coming in his defense; they locked eyes ever so intently, his never-faltering twin backing him up as usual. Life was a lot better now that El was by his side. “Show me.”

She held out her hand, palm up, and Will took a deep breath before reaching out from across the coffee table. He tried to focus on what he’d seen with as many details as he could remember, and when his fingers touched El’s, it was as if he was transferred there — to the porch of their house, with Callie by his side pointing at the trees, and the _thing_ peeking at them with what Will thought now looked like curiosity mixed with something else he couldn’t quite figure. It was as brief as it’d been when it happened not half an hour ago, and when Will blinked, he was back in the Henderson’s living room again, Jennifer Hayes stirring on the sofa and waking up slowly.

Everyone was staring at him and El as it often happened when their weird twins thingy happened, and the siblings looked at one another again; El nodded, a gesture so subtle most people wouldn’t catch it.

“It’s scared,” she said solemnly, and it kind of made sense now that she put a word to it. “And it’s looking for a beacon.”

“You can tell?” Lucas said at the same time Lexi spoke up.

“A beacon?” she exclaimed confused. “What kind of— is that Will it’s looking for?”

Will prayed internally that it wouldn’t be him. He was running out of lives and he quite liked to be at peace the way it’d been the past couple of years. Luckily, El shook her head no.

“I don’t think so, Will’s an amp,” she said and he shrugged.

“You, then?” Lucas suggested and El pouted, thinking it over.

“Maybe, maybe not,” she said, head resting on her hand as she tried to figure it out. She looked over at Will, then, ever so slowly, and he knew exactly what she was thinking, because he was thinking the same.

Needless to say, he hoped they were dead wrong.

 

**(II)**

A few blocks from them, near the power lines, Holly Wheeler strutted around with a small lunchbox filled with warm cookies and sandwiches. Her mother, Karen, thought she was going to a picnic with her school friends who recently returned from a trip — and maybe she would go there later, probably — but Holly had something else in mind.

See, she _was_ going to meet with friends. Meaning, one friend. At least she thought he was her friend. He was kind of quiet, but gentle. Always knew what she was thinking, which was awesome. And she was pretty sure he had superpowers, though she didn’t dare saying it out loud to anyone.

She could be nine, and could be a girl; she could be blonde and quite pretty, the type of girl people wouldn’t expect would be smart at all. But Holly was not stupid. Not even a little bit. And she knew exactly what to say and when, thanks to her big siblings, who were always hiding something. They probably didn’t realize how much stuff they let out near her thinking that she was not paying attention when she actually was.

“Oi, kid!” Holly heard someone call. She would think it wasn’t with her if there were more people around, but Holly had to look back this time. There was an older girl a few feet from her with marvelous brown skin and hands in the pockets of her jean shorts. “Don’t you know the shit ton of abductions that happen in this area of Indiana? It’s like a fucking Stephen King book here. The fuck you doing around?”

“Who are you?” she asked instead of answering her question and the girl raised an eyebrow.

“I’m Erica,” she said, still not getting close enough for them to stop shouting. Holly would like a little more subtlety in her escape. “Erica Sinclair.”

Holly raised her eyebrows, remembering her mother saying something about the relative the Sinclairs would house for a while.

“You’re Lucas’s cousin!” she exclaimed and the girl nodded.

“And you’re Holly Wheeler. Aunty told me about you,” Erica said, daring to step a bit closer. “She just failed to tell me you were a kid.”

“I’m mature for my age,” Holly said, something Nancy told her was called _‘bullshitting’_.

“Yeah, sure. Where are you going?”

“Out.”

Erica smirked, as if Holly said something right.

“Okay, kid. You’re sneaky, I’ll give you that.”

Holly frowned, not sure if it was a good thing or not.

“Thanks?” she said carefully and Erica’s smile widened. “Anyway…”

She stopped talking to watch Erica, whose eyes drifted to the trees down the hill behind the power lines. She looked bored, and maybe she was kind of okay, Holly guessed. Maybe she’d be cool to be around.

“I’ve got some snacks,” Holly said suddenly raising her lunchbox, catching the older girl’s attention again. “Ellie said they’re pretty good, and I have plenty. Wanna come with me?”

“What you got?”

“Chocolate cookies, pineapple juice, cheese and ham sandwiches, chicken pie…”

Without even realizing, Erica had come super close to Holly and she frowned at her surprised.

“You were going to eat all of that alone?” Erica asked.

“Well…” Holly looked down, and then she looked into Erica’s eyes. “Actually… do you want to meet someone super cool?”

Erica pouted, thinking it over. Maybe she would say no, she was older and Holly wasn’t sure she’d like to keep her company. Plus, they were only five days away from the beginning of the school year and they would go to different schools anyway. Maybe Erica would be more interested in going around town and meeting people her own age.

“I guess…” Erica answered. “Who is it? Are they in my school?”

Holly shrugged.

“I’m not sure, I met him a couple weeks ago, but he’s… different. He’s older than me, though.”

Erica glared at her surprised.

“It’s a boy? Your friend?” Holly nodded. “Kid, you’re really weird.”

“You don’t have to come, you know?” Holly said looking down. “And I gotta go, he’s waiting for me—”

“Hey,” Erica interrupted poking Holly’s arm playfully. “I love chicken pie.”

The two girls looked at each other and smiled, and at that moment Holly felt _something_. She couldn’t explain what it was exactly, but maybe she really could trust Erica, and maybe they could share secrets and everything.

“Where are we meeting him?” Erica asked, quirking an eyebrow to the woods and Holly’s smile widened.

“Follow me,” she said, heading towards the trees, but before they barely made it through the first ones, he was there.

“Holly?” he called, and stepped back scared when Erica appeared behind her, mirroring his step-back almost exactly. “ _What the—_ ”

 _“—fuck?_ ” Erica exclaimed, completing the question.

Holly looked from one to another, stepping closer to him hoping that it would make him feel safer. He was skittish like a kitten, but she hoped he’d understand and accept her new… neighbor.

Erica pointed at him, eyes and mouth open in shock, and Holly smiled reassuringly.

“Erica, this is my friend Yí. Yí, this is Erica, she’s new here and she would like to have breakfast with us.”

For a moment, no one said anything but surprisingly, the first to speak was Erica, face lit with an excitement hard to describe.

“Fucking. Awesome.”


	2. T-minus 2 days before they leave for college

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another thing that differs from this series of fics to the show will be in this chapter: Dustin's siblings. Different from the show, my Dustin is the younger of 5 brothers, and the immediately older brother - Grant - is an art teacher in Hawkins Middle.  
> There's also a small detail about Terry, but if you don't want to be spoiled about the end of "tjl2f", I won't say anything here heh
> 
> Thank you for reading and leaving kudos! I hope you like this second chapter, it has Answers.

**(III)**

Mind. Fucking. Blown.

Erica couldn’t even sleep the previous night so hyped she was with everything that happened the previous day. (Also because her sister was a snorer, but that wasn’t even relevant at the moment because _holy fucking shit_ , Yí was not from this world, and she meant it literally.)

There wasn’t a particular reason for Erica to follow the Wheeler girl to the forest, but boy, if she wasn’t glad she did! Vermont was a dead land and nothing exciting ever happened there; for the longest time, she thought Hawkins would be exactly the same, with the added statistics of missing-found people that would show up in the papers every now and then. Her cousin’s friend, for example, had almost died and was even declared dead more than a couple of times.

Erica had thought that Hawkins would be another shitty town in the middle of nowhere with a few urban legends going around more than her hometown, but now that she saw the type of friends you could make just by crossing the tree line and entering the woods, she began to change her mind.

— not that she was some kind of freaking nerd or anything, but she had a thing for danger and a mean left hook, so it was easy to say that Erica was afraid of little to nothing —

Holly told her that she met Yí when she was walking around the woods looking for twigs to do some nerdy shit Erica didn’t pay attention to what was and just… sort of found him a few weeks ago. She said he was naked and hurt and scared, so she went back home and found some old clothes of her brother's to give to him, as well as the first aid kit to treat his wound.

And they became friends ever since, just like that. See, that’s what Erica was looking for when moving to another city. If she couldn’t follow her parents on their work trip, she might as well go somewhere _fun_ — which was the main reason she wanted to move in with her aunt to New York instead of filling the gap that Lucas would leave in Hawkins — but if she could find some adventure here…

Maya rolled on the bed, pushing Erica more to the edge, and annoyed the younger girl punched her sister and got out of bed. She glared at her sister with her hands on her hips and a frown.

“Why do I even have to share with _you_?” Erica wondered out loud. “Where’s that white boyfriend of yours?”

Obviously, Maya didn’t answer. She was a heavy sleeper, the complete opposite of Erica. Erica was too electric to sleep on a daily basis, and things wouldn’t be remotely easier now that she met Yí.

Sighing and not feeling the last bit of sleep in her body, even after a whole night of open eyes, she looked over to the window, where the first rays of sunshine were painting the sky in purple and pink. She had to admit that it _was_ kind of pretty.

Stepping closer to the window, Erica noticed for the first time that she had a clear view of the power lines and the woods, even though she could only see the top of the trees from there. She supposed that the best view was from the Wheelers’ house and wondered if Holly could see Yí from her bedroom window, wondered if he was sleeping there alone and scared without a roof.

“I can’t go home,” he’d told her looking down at his feet. “Not like this.”

“What do you mean?” she’d asked, but he didn’t answer, letting Holly fill the silence with mindless chatter instead.

Erica shook her head and decided to take action. She put on a pair of sneakers, a jacket over her pajamas, a flashlight in its pocket and headed downstairs. She made three tuna sandwiches, bottled some leftover orange and carrot juice from last night’s dinner and cut three fine slices of chocolate cake; she put the food in Tupperware and stuffed everything in a plastic bag, and before she left through the back door, she wrote a note saying that she’d gone out for a walk. Last thing she wanted was people freaking out with a little more than 24 hours after her arrival.

With her flashlight in hand, Erica crunched the wet grass under her feet as she passed by the Wheelers’ towards the power lines. She thought of checking on Holly to see if the girl was awake, but she didn’t know which window belonged to blondie, so she decided against it, headed straight to the point in the woods where she met Yí for the first time. He most likely wouldn’t be there, but it was a starting point.

“You’re very loud,” the boy’s voice echoed as if it was in Erica’s head and she spun around looking for him. “I’m here.”

“Here _where_?” she asked annoyed. Erica didn’t like to be played. “Some directions would be nice.”

“Just come, Erica” Yí said calmly and she swallowed. She felt a tug in her stomach that kind of told her where to go, and her feet found the way on their own accord. “I see you.”

“Well, _I_ don’t see you,” she replied and then came to a halt when he jumped from a tree right in front of her. She _almost_ let out a yelp, held back just in time, and pointed her light right at his face, even though the sun was getting high enough to illuminate the woods faintly. “My fucking black Jesus, Yí, what was that about?”

He squinted, blocking the light with a hand. He was taller than her, and skinny as one could be, arms too long and a round-ish face. His skin was dark as night and his straight hair was just as black and he was wearing a thin shirt and shorts.

The most intriguing thing was his eyes, though. At first, they seemed completely blank and it was kind of creepy, but when Erica got closer, she could see the palest tone of brown in his irises, as if they were hidden.

“Can you _please_ put it down?” Yí asked and Erica sighed, turning off the flashlight. “Thanks. You’re up early.”

“I didn’t sleep,” she said before she could stop her tongue this time. She felt her cheeks warm and was so glad for her skin tone saving her from embarrassment. “The moving and shit, I get too anxious.”

Yí pushed his hair back, an eyebrow raised, and hummed.

“Hm what?” Erica asked with her nose high. He shrugged.

“I didn’t peg you as the anxious type.”

Erica smiled.

“It’s more like… too much energy. When I have a lot to do, my mind goes a million miles per hour and everything gets a bit hectic, as if I’m moving faster than everyone else.”

“Damn,” Yí said sitting down, back against the tree. Erica stepped closer and sat in front of him with her legs crossed, her bag of food between them. “I thought pretty girls had it all figured out.”

She raised both eyebrows.

“Oh, don’t get me wrong,” she said with certainty. “I _do_ have it all figured out. I just have to remember to slow down every now and again.”

“I see,” he said and then eyed the bag between them. The sunlight was creeping through the leaves warming patches of their skin. “What’s this?” Yí asked and Erica smiled.

“Breakfast,” she answered. “I hope you like tuna.”

 

Yí was funny. Very funny, with that kind of self-depreciative humor a quirky character in comedies would have. He was also hella smart, and Erica didn’t really know how he ended up hiding in the woods, living off handed-down clothes, sleeping bags and food from Holly Wheeler.

“What happened exactly?” Erica said after they were halfway through their cake. “Did you run away from home?”

Yí shook his head no.

“Not exactly,” he said avoiding eye contact. “I… don’t really know how I left, I guess I kinda lost my memory? All I knew was that I couldn’t go back home — wherever that was — and as I recovered my memory I understood why.”

Now, that was vague as shit. Erica listened to him frowning all the way, trying to piece together everything he had to say.

“How did you get hurt?” she asked. He looked down as if embarrassed and swallowed.

“Some… people,” he told her. “They… weren’t very nice when they saw me.”

Erica took a good look at him, at his dark skin and uncommon complexion, and she looked at her own skin, remembering of the things that made her be “the bitch” in her old school. She thought of the relief she felt when her parents said they’d have to leave, and the despair that took over her when they said she wouldn’t be going to the Philippines with them, that she would have to stay in this country.

She understood.

“I…” Yí said low, so she leaned closer to hear every word. “Don’t know how to turn back by myself. I was searching for the beacon when they found me and I had to run. I hid near the lake, where the water speaks. And sometime later I met Holly. She was really nice to me.”

“The lake?” Erica asked confused. “That’s kinda far, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, but the water helped me,” he said, as if it was supposed to make any sense. “It healed me and told me where to go, and that’s when Holly showed up. She wanted to build a birdhouse, you know? And ended up having to help me.”

“I don’t think she _had to_ help you, though,” Erica told him, looking into his eyes. “I think she wanted to. You know how some white people kinda have this instinct to make up to others? Aunty told me about Holly, and that’s the kind of person she looks like to be.”

At this point, Yí was chuckling, a hand covering his mouth, and Erica raised an eyebrow at him.

“You’re kind of mean,” he said. “On purpose. Why?”

“Survival,” she answered matter-of-factly and he nodded. He reached for the bottle of juice and took a sip before talking again.

“I see what you mean,” he said. “You’re from Vermont, right?”

Erica nodded.

“I’m supposed to stay for the next 4 years, finish high school here. My sister goes to college in Houston and you have _no idea_ how I _hate_ Texas. My aunt on my mom’s side is from New York, but she lives in this boxy apartment, I couldn’t stay with her. So I had to come to my uncle’s here. Are you going to start high school too?”

“Was going to,” Yí said looking over to something beyond her. “Now I’m not so sure. Holly is coming.”

Erica didn’t hear the other girl coming, and it took a good couple of minutes for her to show up, but he was right, Holly was there. And she seemed fairly surprised to see Erica there as well.

“Hey, kid,” Erica greeted waving at her. She pointed at the Tupperware between her and Yí. “I brought one for you as well. Come eat.”

 

“You said you were looking for a beacon,” Erica said as the three of them walked around the woods. Yí said he wanted to show her the first place he woke up at, and where he’d hide to rest sometimes. He said it was because he hoped that whoever had left him there could maybe return to see how he was doing and maybe help him out. “What’s that supposed to be? Did you find it?”

Yí nodded.

“I did, thanks to Hol,” he said bumping the blonde’s shoulder and the girl smiled. “But I couldn’t get close yet,” he completed, his smile disappearing.

“Why not?”

He sighed, looking the other way. They were in a weird part of the woods, with burnt trees and thinner forest.

“She’s too guarded,” he said. “The energy around her is too strong, they have to leave first.”

“Her?” both Erica and Holly said at the same time.

“You didn’t tell me it was a person,” Holly said looking up at him with wide blue eyes.

Erica was more interested in the part of said beacon being a girl than anything else, but before she could out her surprise with that, her jaw dropped, because they’d stumbled into a huge clearing that looked more like a bomb had dropped there. The ground was deeper than the rest of the forest and even though there already was grass all over, with baby’s-breaths all around, the massive crack in the middle still made it look so creepy, Erica felt every hair on her body rise.

“What in the flying fuck happened here?” she asked baffled.

“The official statement?” Yí said calmly, crossing the clearing with Holly by his side and Erica a few feet behind them. “An earthquake about two and a half years ago, but I heard some people using another interesting term for it.”

“Some people?” Holly asked, cocking her head. Yí nodded.

“Your sister, actually. I didn’t remember it for a long time, but when I woke up here…” they had crossed the clearing by now and were standing in front of concrete building broken in half like the crack in the clearing. Erica was looking around with a mix of expectation and curiosity. “The word just came to me. Versequake. A rip through worlds.”

He was talking with so much property, Holly nodded solemnly and Erica frowned, head snapping in his direction, a million thoughts going through her mind.

“You’re really weird,” she opted to say, though, and he smiled, turning to look at the clearing again.

“I know it’s hard to believe,” he said and side-eyed her. “But please, do.”

She tilted her head, neither answering nor making promises. Talking waters, ripped worlds, human beacons… everything sounded crazy to her, but so did black women who knew what they wanted to others, so Erica decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

“What happens when you find the beacon?” she asked instead and he shook his head.

“I’m not sure,” he confessed. “The only thing I know is that she’s got the means.”

 

**(IV)**

They’d been up all night doing research. It was a bit of a bad idea, because most of them would have to drive for long hours in less than 48 hours, but one did what one had to do.

If that creature — whatever it was — was lurking at their house, El knew it was her duty to make sure it wasn’t going to hurt anyone in her family. So yeah, they met with her Aunt Becky the previous day and dug through her mother’s belongings to find out if Terry had written anything remotely similar to what Will had seen, and they were absolutely exhausted, _but_ the Henderson’s house was big and comfortable, accommodated all of them easily, and it’d been easy to do research like that. They were hyped with caffeine and sugar, but they were making progress in record time.

El got up and stretched her stiff muscles, looked around the living room — where Lucas and Lexi tried to compare D&D creatures to the drawing Will had made, where Dustin highlighted everything he thought was important in one of Terry’s journals, where Mike snored, drooling on the cushion.

The smell of pancakes was what directed El to the kitchen. She was obviously more of a waffle person, but food was food. Jennifer was the one venturing with the cooking, well familiar with the ambiance. Just a few weeks ago, Jen had cut her hair in a bob, her blonde strands refused to get behind her ears and had to be tamed with hairclips, the points curling charmingly. El peeked over Jennifer’s shoulder.

“Smells good,” she said softly, chin to Jenny’s shoulder and the blonde girl smiled. “How are you feeling now?”

“You tell me,” Jennifer said playfully, hiding what really was underneath, and El shook her head no, embracing the girl from behind.

“I want you to tell me.”

Her hands were resting on Jennifer’s now empty stomach and El knew exactly how her friend felt — not because she’d been through that, but because she could sense it from the other girl. Jennifer swallowed and flipped the pancake before she answered.

“I’m better,” she said, which was true. She wasn’t _there_ yet, but she was _better_. El was happy to see her admit that. “Can you get the butter for me?”

“Sure!”

They didn’t talk about Jen and Dustin’s break up, mostly because it was none of their business. El especially didn’t talk about it because she was the only one who knew what really went down between the two and she shouldn’t interfere. She learned her lesson a long time ago with her own relationship with Mike — how other people poking into your shit can fuck everything up.

Dustin and Jennifer had been together since they were freshmen, and now Dustin was shipping off to Stanford while Jennifer headed to Massachusetts. There was no way they could be together like that, and they knew it. Some things are just the way they were.

El opened the fridge and got the butter as her friend had asked, and when she closed it, she saw the face of the kid who’d disappeared a while ago. His face already had embedded in everyone’s memory, so many MISSING signs his father had spread around, but she didn’t realize that the Hendersons had one of those signs in their _kitchen_.

“Caesar Y. Davis,” she read, even though she knew it by heart. “He doesn’t look like a Caesar.”

Jennifer scoffed.

“Right?” she said preparing another pancake. “He was one of Grant’s kids, he said the kid was one of the nice ones.”

“Was?” El asked leaving the butter next to the plate of pancakes to take the sign from the fridge. “He’s not dead.”

“Do you _know_ that?” Jennifer enquired and El frowned, taking a good look at the picture of the boy.

He seemed like a good kid. With a dimpled smile and good-hearted as they come, he kind of reminded her of Holly in a way. He had long dark hair, a round face and Asian features. She didn’t remember seeing him around, and she didn’t _know_ if he was alive, to be honest, but she had a _feeling_.

Like…

Will.

Back in the day.

Yeah, it was a similar feeling, even though there was no access to the Upside Down anymore.

“What do you know about him?” she asked, showing the pic to Jennifer, who’d finished the last pile of pancakes and was now buttering them. She took a quick look at the picture.

“My dad works with his father, they live at the edge of the town, but across from you. I don’t remember much about him, but I heard Dad saying that his mother left him to the father and went M.I.A., he grew up just with his dad. They almost don’t look alike, his dad is Puerto Rican. Dad said he’s never seen the kid’s mom at all. And Grant said that the kid is really smart, he doesn’t think he would just run away, he doesn’t really have a reason to do that. Or so everyone thinks. So he was probably taken.”

El hummed and focused on the photo of that boy. He still had that baby fat on his cheeks, and his smile reached his eyes. She thought of the times she found people just by looking at their pictures and it made her think that maybe she could find that kid as well, but pondered on her priorities — what was the focus now? Making sure that Callie was safe before they’d have to leave, or finding someone else’s child?

The answer wasn’t that hard to find.

 

They attacked Jennifer’s pancakes with the ferocity of people who spent way too much time on caffeine and chips. It was great that the Hendersons had such a big house, with a bigger dinner table where they could loudly share a meal and recharge. Between mouthfuls of food, they shared what they learned and wondered if the information was relevant. It was a bit of a shot in the dark, because they didn’t know what they were looking for, nor what the _thing_ was looking for.

“What about the ley lines?” Lexi suggested, not the first time they brought the subject up.

“Ley lines are ley lines,” El explained. By her plate, the MISSING sign rested. “They are sources of power, but they are not beacons. It’s like… how can I explain it? It’s like, if you want something to work for sure, you do it at a ley line — that will guarantee success.”

“Like Nicholas Heron did a couple of years ago,” Will added. “He used the Hawkins axis to rip through universes and maximize his powers, but he wasn’t counting on me and El together to counter him. Same way it strengthened him, it strengthened us.”

“Okay, but tell me this,” Dustin said impatiently. “If ley lines aren’t beacons, then _what the fuck is a beacon_?”

They all sighed. It’d be good to know, for sure, it’d help them save a lot of time.

“Oh, pancakes!” Grant said entering the room and leaning over Dustin to get his brother’s food. He fished one of the pancakes with his fingers and stuffed it in his mouth. On his other hand, he was holding one of Terry’s journals, even though they didn’t ask for his help.

“Where did you find that?” El asked over Dustin’s protests. She pointed at the journal and Grant swallowed before answering.

“You guys left it all around the living room, I wanted to know what’s gotten y’all so interested all night long.” He made a big show of opening the journal on a random page and reading dramatically. “ _When my baby Jane was born, everything changed. We all knew right away that her beacon was stronger than anyone we’ve ever se—_ HEY!”

They had all shot up at the word “beacon”, and Dustin, who was closer to Grant, took the journal from his hands and continued reading.

“… _her beacon was stronger than anyone we’ve ever seen. I called Nixe and she told me that it’s like that when they are kids — that the raw power might dissipate with time, but if it’s well used it could be a source of balance. If my Jane will be like me or like her father, we do not know yet, but by now she’s a little, but bright beacon. And she might help us greatly, that I’m sure._ ”

Dustin looked up at El and then at Will, and Lucas got the journal from him, quickly reading through the pages.

“Does she say anything else about beacons?”

“There’s a cute drawing,” Lucas said hollowly, eyes scanning the pages. Grant was looking for one to another confused. “Here! _The right children have the right amount of power to attract those who seek solace and help. I hope Jane will bring solace and help to others her whole life, and I hope Brenner doesn’t try to make her into something she’s not. She’s just a baby, after all—_ Blah, blah, blah…”

“Power to attract…” El mumbled trying to make sense of it. “That’s it!” She said hitting her hand on the table. “I know why it’s scared! I know why it wants a beacon!”

“Are you guys saying that the journal makes any sense?” Grant asked frowning. “Because it honestly doe—”

No one paid attention to him, though, eyes turned to El instead. She glared at Will, thinking of the time she was in camp and she’d try to see her sister, especially when Callie was really little. It was hard due to the distance, and significantly easier when Will was around, but in truth, she could always find Callie. _Always._ With no resources, always. Hard, but not impossible, even from afar.

“ _So?_ ” asked Mike impatiently.

“It’s new,” she said. “It doesn’t know what’s happening to it. It doesn’t know how to go back to normal.”

“Go back to normal?” Jennifer asked frowning. “Like a changeling?”

“Might be,” El said shrugging. “But whatever it is, it’s stuck and it wants to get back to normal. And for that, it needs the beacon, which is raw power. Accessing that kind of power, you might be able to control better. Don’t you get it?”

“But who could possibly be a beacon?” Mike asked thinking out loud. “Your mom talked about babies, but there aren—”

“Callie,” they all said at the same time.

“That’s why it was—” Lucas started.

“—lurking around our house, yes,” Will finished. Grant rounded the table and stopped by El, taking the sign from under her hand to put it on the fridge again. “It thinks that her presence might help him change back.”

“But if he was near your house,” Dustin argued. “Why didn’t it change back, since it was close enough to Callie?”

Will scoffed.

“No one can reach our home,” El said while Will nodded. Their friends frowned.

“No. One.” He emphasized.

“Right, but you’ll be leaving tomorrow,” Lexi reminded them, bringing them back to reality. “So you gotta find a way to help it change back before it reaches Callie alone. God knows what it could do without direction.”

That was a great point, and the siblings exchanged a look, trying to come up with something on the spot.

“You know,” Grant interrupted their thoughts cutting through them to get another pancake, now from Jennifer’s plate. “Excuse me, lil’ sis. Since we’re all saying random things, here’s a trivia. One of the words used for change, or shift, in Chinese, is _yí_. It’s also a bit of a common name, usually written to mean _resolute_ or _suitable_.”

Dustin frowned.

“How… could that even be relevant?” he asked and Grant raised an eyebrow, thumb pointing at the poster on fridge behind him.

“That’s Caesar’s middle name,” he said. “You’re talking about changing and shit, and it reminded me of the Chinese classes I took in college. You do remember I have a minor—”

“No one cares!” Dustin said hurrying to the fridge and getting the sign. He shoved it in El’s hand. “Find him.”

Grant shook his head.

“She can’t simply _find him_ ,” he said and El smirked.

“Yes, I can.”

Maybe that was it, after all. Maybe, to help one, he had to help two, and if she could find the kid to keep her sister safe, then she would be able to leave with a light heart.

El looked down at the black-and-white photo of Caesar and concentrated. Find him, figure out how to help him, and then leave for college with the job done. Two years of peace totally worth it.


	3. T-minus 1 day until they leave for college

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, the last chapter of this little story I've been working on! I hope you guys enjoy it, it was a lot of fun to take a different turn on Hawkins' creatures. ^^

**(V)**

Sleep was underrated, especially when you had a million things going through your mind — that was the conclusion Holly got to.

Much like when she first met Yí, she tossed and turned in bed, trying to replay the plan for the morning in her head. Part of her — the part that was calculated and loved math — told her that it couldn’t be _that simple_ to help him, but the other part… the one that listened to Nancy and Mike’s stories and that loved science so fiercely it made her dizzy sometimes, told her to go for it.

What did she have to lose?

So she thought it over one more time from the top and before Holly realized it, it was dawn. With the first light, she got up and washed her face with cold water to stay alert, brushed her hair and tied it in a braid. She’d seen Jennifer Hayes’ new haircut and had been wondering for a while now if she should cut her hair as well, but maybe she should decide after school starts.

Holly opted for some comfortable clothes and shoes, considering that she would do some walking that morning, and headed downstairs to use the phone. At the Byers, they picked up quite fast.

“Ms. Joyce?” Holly said. “Do you really want me to take care of Callie today?”

“ _Holly?_ ” Joyce replied. “ _Yes, please. Sorry for asking so last minute, but Will and Elle will leave early to do God knows what. You know they’re leaving tomorrow, right? And I need to go to work, Hop is on night patrol and needs to sleep._ ”

“Yeah, sure,” Holly said, knowing all of that already. It felt like destiny, Joyce showing up the previous day asking her to babysit since everyone at her home would be busy and she was starting that new job. “Is it okay if I take her to the lake this morning? Erica and I were thinking on a picnic.”

On the other side of the line, Joyce hummed.

“ _The lake is close enough,_ ” she said pensively. “ _I think it’d be okay, you’re a responsible girl._ ”

Holly smiled.

“Not to brag, Ms. Joyce,” she said checking the clock, knowing fully well that she was bullshitting again. “But I really am.”

 

She met with Erica not twenty minutes later and together they headed to the Byers’. It would be strange to call it the Byers’ house after Will left, but Holly kind of couldn’t say it any other way. She’d been calling it that way her whole life, after all, the beaten down house way too familiar after so many visits with her mother and siblings, and now with the “job” as Callie’s babysitter she’d take on every now and then.

“The fuck my sister’s car doing here?” Erica wondered out loud as they walked to the front door. Holly, who didn’t have an answer to her friend, kept her mouth shut, knocked twice on the door and waited. All ready for work, Joyce opened the door.

“Oh, Holly, thank God!” she said ushering the girl inside. “Do you want some breakfast? Elle is getting Callie ready. Is that…?”

“I’m Erica Sinclair,” Erica said ahead of Holly, who was heading to the girls’ bedroom.

“Lucas’ cousin?” she heard Joyce ask, but Holly was out of earshot before she could hear Erica’s answer.

Ellie and Callie were on the bed, the older girl all pretty with that aura she usually had whenever Holly saw her. Along with Nancy, Ellie was one of Holly’s biggest inspirations and even though both girls told her that she was naturally beautiful, she aspired to be as whimsical as them.

“Holly!” Callie exclaimed turning to her with those big blue eyes and jumping out of bed; she ran straight to Holly’s legs. “Picnic! Picnic!”

Holly smiled and patted the baby’s head, and then she looked up at Elle, who was smiling at her softly. Her hair, like Callie’s, was loose on her shoulders. Holly knew that they had no blood relation, but they really looked alike, all of them — including Elle and Will.

“A picnic, huh?” Elle said tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. The light was coming through the window giving her somewhat a mystical aura. Lately, Holly wondered how that was always there. “You’ll be a good girl and take care of Callie? Will and I have to do a thing.”

“Of course,” Holly guaranteed, not sure if he’d hear a hint of caution in Elle’s voice. “I’ll keep her safe. Erica will be with me too.”

Elle nodded, as if she knew something Holly didn’t. She supposed that was the kind of thing that came with being older, because Erica looked at her like that too sometimes, even though Holly had been here sooner and knew Yí longer. Elle got up and closer to Holly, rested a hand on her shoulder.

“I wouldn’t expect anything less of a Wheeler,” she said, even though they both knew that Holly’s father was the most unreliable person in the universe. Guess there were more pros than cons in her family than she realized, four to one were good odds.

“Let’s go, Holly, let’s go!” Callie practically shouted, jumping up and down. Elle passed by them and got out of the room. Soon, they heard her knocking on another door and telling Will to _hurry the hell up_ , so Holly kneeled in front of Callie.

“Okay, we’ll go soon. Do you have a backpack?”

“Yes!” Callie ran to her toys trunk and got a small yellow backpack from it, ran back to Holly and handed it to her, so she would help her hang it up.

After that was set, Holly took the girl’s hand and went back to the living room, where Erica looked awfully uncomfortable, just like Joyce. As soon as she showed up, they both jumped into action.

“Okay, Hol, I’ll be leaving,” Joyce said. “Hopper will be up around noon, and you’ll be free to go have fun.”

Holly smiled. Erica was on Callie’s other side, but the baby didn’t take her hand. She wasn’t _that_ trusty with new people.

“We’ll go too,” Erica said with a smile. “Blondie promised orange cake and I’m dying for it. Let’s go.”

“You girls be careful!” Elle called as they all left through the front door, a mug of coffee in her hand; Joyce was heading to her car and Holly and Erica circled to the woods that would take them to a trail that led to the lake faster.

“I don’t like the big sister,” Erica said as soon as they were out of earshot, safe in the first line of trees. “She gives me a weird vibe.”

Holly frowned.

“You kidding me? Elle is a badass. She’s awesome. Also, she’s my brother’s girlfriend and she dressed as Princess Leia for Halloween once. Nothing could beat _that_.”

Erica clicked her tongue.

“Blondie, you really are a nerd. Don’t let people know that.”

“Why not?” Holly asked, legit curiosity in her voice. Both her siblings had told her not to be afraid to show who she was to anyone, and recently she’d been getting mixed messages from other people.

Erica stopped on her tracks and shook her head as if she was disappointed, and then she frowned.

“Hey, it’s Mayo Boy,” she said pointing and Holly looked over.

It was Will, and he was shirtless by his window. He looked very nice, and the willow tree tattoo that covered his right arm looked so awesome from where they were standing. From what Holly knew, Will had designed all of his tattoos, and if she wasn’t mistaken, he had five — because tattoos, apparently, were supposed to come in odd numbers. She didn’t know what they all were, but she particularly liked the words on his chest, right above his heart. _I will go on_ , it said. It suited him perfectly.

“Gotta give it to Maya,” Erica said with a shrug. “Mayo Boy is kinda hot.”

“Will?” Holly said, head snapping in Erica’s direction. “He’s so cool, and really handsome.”

Erica crisped her eyes at her.

“Is that… a crush I see?” she said and Holly frowned.

“Huh?” she asked confused, but Erica’s eyes drifted from her and then widened. The older girl turned around and brushed her eyes as if they were burning.

“Shit, shit, shit, can’t unsee, fuck—”

“Wha—” Holly started turning to look at the window again, but Will wasn’t alone this time; with him was a dark-skinned girl without her top either, arms around his neck and legs around his hips as they kissed. “That your sister?”

Suddenly, Callie’s hand was snatched from Holly’s, catching her attention. It was Erica, who’d gotten the girl in her arms and was heading in the wrong direction.

“Enough of that shit, Blondie, lead the way, already.”

“Okay!” Holly said as loud as she could to make Erica stop. “But the trail to the lake is through there.”

She pointed the right way and Erica chuckled embarrassedly before she followed Holly to where they were supposed to go and meet Yí. They were already late.

 

**(VI)**

El was tired of calling, so she sat in front of Will’s door, back to the wall of her room, legs spread. Bark, her faithful and now only dog, laid between her legs snoozing as calmly as the sweet time Will was taking to send Maya off. She wondered if she’d been too obvious with the girls — convincing Joyce to let them take Callie to the boy who was lurking around the house just a couple of days and all was impressive, but she wasn’t sure Lucas’ cousin bought their act. The girl was _sharp_.

She sighed for the millionth time resting her head against the wall and looking at the clock, and then kicked Will’s wall.

“WILLIAM!” El shouted one more time.

“FUCK OFF!” he shouted back, sounding out of breath. He really should stop smoking; no amount of fucking and skating would be exercise enough to keep him healthy.

“Fucking idiot,” El complained to Bark, petting his head. “He knows we have to go or we’ll lose the trail, we have to FUCKING GO!”

“EL! FOR FUCK’S SAKE!” Hop shouted from his bedroom, reminding her that he needed to sleep.

“ _Sorry, Dad!_ ” she replied wincing and then sighed again, wondering if she should get herself a couple of Eggos while she waited. “Jesus, this day is already too long.”

El looked at the clock again and only a minute had passed, so she was ready to complain one more time when the door to Will’s room opened abruptly, revealing a sweaty and annoyed Will Byers.

“You said we didn’t have to worry,” he hissed. “And I’m busy.”

“You’ve been busy all night!” she replied quickly getting up. Bark jumped to her side. “And not having to worry doesn’t mean we should sit on our asses and let them do what they want for an unlimited amount of time! We need to control the situation.”

“Did they even leave?” Will asked and El glared at him.

“I want to punch you in the face,” she said through her teeth and he made a face.

“Shit. Lost track of time,” he said apologetically. “Sorry.”

“Fuck your sorry, go get ready. I’m leaving in 3,” she said pushing him back to the room. “Come on, Bark.”

 

“The fuck took you so long?” Lucas asked when they finally met their friends near the trailer house. El scoffed.

“Ask Will,” she said passing by all of them. Behind her, Will waved humorlessly.

“Please, don’t ask me,” he said. Lucas frowned, having a bad feeling about this like he usually did when it involved Will and his family.

“Hey, babe,” Mike said taking El’s hand. “You okay?”

She shook her head no.

“I’m kinda anxious,” she confessed. “I don’t know what to expect.”

“You said the kid is not dangerous.”

“He doesn’t know what he can do and honestly, none of us know either. _That’s scary, Mike._ And your sister will be there with Callie. And Lucas’ cousin. If he loses his cool and sucks on Callie’s power, what could happen?”

Reassuringly, Mike squeezed El’s hand making her look up at him. He didn’t look exactly calm — Mike was never calm when things were out of his control — but he seemed to have his shit together this time. Maybe, she supposed, he was making his plan as they went.

“You had a feeling about him, didn’t you?” he asked and she nodded. “You said he was nice? How about we just trust that gut feeling for now?”

It sounded reasonable enough, El supposed. But years and years with those boys a _nd_ Hopper made it hard for her to not rationalize.

“Let’s go already,” Dustin said, already ahead of them with Jennifer and Lexi by his sides. “Directions?”

“Towards the talking water,” El said casually, walking by Mike’s side, fingers intertwined despite the mid-August heat. Dustin made a face.

“The fuck is that supposed to mean?”

In perfect synch, Will and El shook their heads and blinked in disbelief as if Dustin had asked the most stupid question ever, and then they exchanged a look — any animosity that remained from Will holding them back already gone. With a sigh, he just pointed to their right.

“Take the trail over there,” he said bored and took the head of the group, walking faster to gain time.

“What do you mean when you say that the water talks?” Mike asked El as they followed the others. She’s always talked about the lake as if it was a _Living Thing_ , but he took it as her connection with nature and water. He never really thought that there was _something_ there. “You can’t possibly mean that it actually has a voice…”

“The water itself, no,” El said calmly, eyes on the trail. “But those who live there, yes.”

“You mean fish?” Lucas, who was flanking them, asked skeptically. El rolled her eyes.

“You wouldn’t want to call them _fish_ to their faces,” she warned, and they fell silent until Lexi stopped in her tracks.

“Wait, do you mean mermaids? Fucking mermaids in Hawkins?” she asked turning to face El.

“That’s one name for them, I guess.”

“There are—” Lucas said baffled. “Mermaids in the lake and you never told us? We’ve swum in this lake every summer for _years_!”

“They don’t like people, so they only appear for a handful of us,” Will said ahead of them. “It’s better that your eyes are blinded by their existence anyway, they can be quite unfriendly.”

The party walked mostly in silence, but El could tell that they were all more attentive to the lake now that they knew about the mermaids, even though those weren’t the only creatures living there. They were the ones that fed fantasies better, though, that was why she chose to only talk about them.

To be fair, El was paying attention to the lake as well, waiting for a friendly face to show them where exactly to go. She’d been here the previous night charging a favor and any moment now they could show up. They owed her that much.

“It’s almost time,” someone said, a voice coming from the lake they weren’t familiar with, and they all turned towards it startled.

The creature was against the light, which gave them some sort of golden aura. Their skin was glistening with water as they sat on a rock that definitely wasn’t there before, and their gender was something none of them could guess, not even up-close.

They were far enough for the friends to be unable to reach them without getting wet, but close enough so they could get a good look at their beauty — the black hair went down their shoulders, not long enough to cover their chest, so much like a guy’s but not exactly so at the same time. They had pale skin, long, graceful limbs and eyes as dark as their hair, and they looked nothing like they did the previous night, when El met them.

El couldn’t help but think they were trying to show off, now that the others had a chance to look at them.

“ _Holy. Shit._ ” Jennifer said under her breath, clinging to Dustin’s arm, eyes wide. They smiled, eyes turning to El with some sort of mischief.

“Hello, Ellie,” they said with a smirk.

“Hi,” she greeted. “Did you find them?”

“Do you have a name?” Lucas asked over her, and their smirk widened.

“Yes,” they said and then sighed, attention back to El. “Ah, I don’t like doing this… he’s such a sweet boy…”

“Yeah, but he’s got my sister,” Will said firmly, and they looked at him with a different glint in their eyes. The odd creature seemed about to say something, but Mike was faster.

“Mine too. They’re babies,” he reasoned. “We’re more likely to help him than they are.”

“Oh, Michael,” they said leaning forward gracefully. By the way Mike squeezed El’s hand, she could tell that he was surprised they knew his name. “Haven’t you learned better than underestimating the women in this city?”

“Look, can you just point the way?” El asked, getting impatient. “I don’t want to risk Callie’s beacon being misused.”

That seemed to catch their attention and put them on alert. Say what you want about those connected to the supernatural, they all knew the valor of power sources and respected them deeply.

“You’re going in the right direction, and it’s almost time. You remember what I told you, right?” they said, subtly indicating with a head tilt. El nodded and bowed her head a little showing the respect she had for everything they’d taught her so short-noticed. When she looked up again, they seemed satisfied. “Tell little brother to come looking for me once he’s got it figured out, will you?”

“Will do,” El said with another small bow. “Thank you, Teo.”

There was a collective gasp as she straightened up, because that was the amount of time it took for them to disappear, rock and all.

“Teo? Their name is Teo?” Dustin asked excitedly. “How did you know? When did you know?”

El shook her head no.

“They have a thing with names, you see? So that’s just how I call them,” she said. “The full name is Swipeuteo, I think it’s Korean. They looked different today.”

“Swipeuteo…” Mike said under his breath. They all started walking again, bee-lining through the trees. “Are they Asian?”

“Sometimes. They rarely ever look the same—” Will answered, but suddenly stopped in his tracks, making everyone stop as well, bumping into each other. When he spoke again, it was with caution. “You feel that?”

As a matter of fact, El did. The pull. As if something was calling to them, directing them. It made her think that maybe she didn’t even need Teo’s help at all, because she could recognize that feeling from so far away.

The beacon.

Callie.

Without a second thought, El and Will bolted through the woods giving the others no choice but to follow them. They cut under low branches and vines closer to that one spot they _should’ve known_ was _the_ spot; the fairy circle right next to the Vortex where everything is not the same.

They were being reckless, now, she knew. They should approach the situation carefully and introduce themselves, but she could feel the harvest of the beacon and she just couldn’t allow—

“What the—” El gasped, almost falling forward so fast she stopped. She looked around confused, because she was pretty sure Will was right behind her, but now he was standing in front of her, blocking the passage. Frowning, she tried to dig the layers, feeling a headache starting in the back of her head; the sound of her friends scattered around the woods mixed with the birds and wind. “Not…” El started, trying hard to focus. “Will.”

In front of her, Will blinked confusedly and leaned casually against a tree. It _looked_ like Will, but something was off, she knew it. Trying to ease her breathing, she looked around calmly and somewhere… far away… she heard the call.

_El!_

And—

_Whimsy!_

“What did you do?” she asked swallowing nervously. “Callie!”

“She’s safe,” he said. His voice was different too, not _quite there_ yet. A boy’s voice going through changes. “You should leave.”

El shook her head no.

“I don’t want to leave,” she said stepping in his direction, feeling as if she was in a bubble. She noticed how his posture changed, how he was ready to flee any moment. “I want to help. I came to help.”

“I just need the beacon,” he said firmly. El nodded.

“I know how to use her, I promise. And it’ll be easier if we’re all together, so release Will and we’ll help you. No one gets hurt. Trust me.”

He swallowed and El frowned, paying attention to every detail of his, the mistrust and anxiety exhaling from him. Every little thing meant something. She wondered if someone tried to hurt him before, supposed she was right.

“Caesar Yí Davis,” she said softly and his eyes widened — Will’s eyes, but not really. He swallowed nervously, because names meant a lot. Even if you were new at it, you knew — like when she used to be just a number. The tattoo on her skin still burned sometimes, even under the layers of flowers it was buried under. “Let us help.”

All of a sudden, the bubble popped and she could listen again.

“ _EL!_ ” Will called, coming from her left, just as everyone was approaching. Even Holly and Erica appeared from behind the trees, Callie between them. They all needed a moment to realize that there were two Wills there. “ _The hell?_ ”

With a relieved smile, El approached him. Caesar. He seemed frozen in place, and maybe it had to do with her, but he didn’t try anything brusque which was good. She reached out to Callie, and the girl slid from her caretakers’ hold to grasp at her big sister’s hand.

“What did Whimsy say about me?” she asked him and he swallowed.

“They don’t like you much,” he said, voice hoarse, more like it actually was, she supposed, even though he still had Will’s appearance. “They say you’re scary.”

“Well, that’s a misunderstanding,” El guaranteed, talking loud enough for the fairy to hear her. She reached up and touched his face. “You can let go of this mask now. I’ll show you the rest. I’ll show you how.”

Caesar swallowed nervously, but allowed her. He could be afraid of her, but she supposed it was even scarier to mess this up and be unable to return to his true self, she supposed. His eyes started to change from Will’s greenish-brown to a warm, dark chocolate shade that made El smile.

“Your father misses you,” she said. “And the Swipeuteo wants you to look for them. They’ll help after we’re gone. Okay?”

He nodded, eyes going down.

“Are you ready?” El asked reaching for his strings, and Caesar nodded again. “Brace yourself. Three, two—”

Through their connected hands, with the extra help of Will’s amplifier and the clarity of Callie’s beacon, the giving end of it was rather easy, but the receiving ending… not so much.

Suddenly on his knees, Caesar screamed in pain and his appearance kept changing, wave after wave, making Erica scream his name — _Yí!_ —, though Mike and Lucas held her and Holly in place.

It startled Callie, who started to cry and Will had to pick her up, because El was concentrated on Caesar. She needed to show him how to do it, and together the three siblings watched the difficult transformation of creature to boy. He would grow used to it, and it would stop hurting so much as he gained experience, but at the beginning, things were like that, El knew well.

Pain was a necessary evil in order to change. It meant more for him than for anyone else in that forest.

“El…” Will said close to her ear. She could feel his sadness in seeing that happening, and Callie was so scared, but she was almost there—

“Just… hang in there,” she said through her teeth, already feeling exhausted. The path was rocky, as she helped him strip down the layers of his powers, but they’d get to a perfect ending, El was sure. It was a psychological tiring task, but they could do it. “Caesar.”

Shaking, he looked up at her. His skin was dark as night and his long hair covered eyes that were practically white, though their warm brown could be seen underneath if they paid close attention. By now, he didn’t have any clothes on, much like the folk she met through her wanderings back in the day, and he only needed one extra push.

“Breathe,” she instructed, and he did as she said ever so shakily, tears streaming down his cheeks.

And then, he collapsed and everything went still.

Laying on the ground was a boy fresh in his teens. El kneeled next to him and pushed his hair back, his black strands, though a little dirty, were like silk; she revealed a round, familiar face of tanned skin and loving features, just like the face in all of those posters around town.

Caesar Yí Davis. Shapeshifter.

He blinked, breathing hard, slowly getting to his senses, and was greeted by El’s smile.

“Hello,” she said softly and his lids dropped with the exhaustion. Behind her, the boys opened backpacks to fish clothes for the kid, just as she said they’d need to. Callie had stopped crying.

“Yí?” Erica said stepping closer and he blinked, tilting his head to look at her. She smiled. “You’re kinda cute, aren’t you?”

He smiled, showing dimples on both cheeks, his eyes getting incredibly small.

“You already thought that before,” he said sounding oh, so tired and Erica looked away, feeling embarrassed. El couldn’t help but chuckle.

“You know what people are thinking?” Dustin asked impressed, kneeling next to El. “Are you, by any means, a doppelganger?”

There was a collective _Oooooh!!!,_ everyone from their group now well aware of plenty of D&D creatures by now. Caesar just blinked confusedly.

“Guys, we should let him get some rest,” Holly suggested. Mike was holding her against him, covering her eyes, and it was a funny big brother thing for him to do. “And then explain to us what the hell—”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” Jennifer butt in taking Erica’s hand and making her step back again. “We brought some things for a picnic, you girls know where we could set it?”

Holly pointed randomly.

“The fairy circle,” she said, and she was pointing in the wrong direction, but she couldn’t know because Mike still was covering her eyes. “We left our things there.”

“Okay, let’s go!” Jennifer agreed right away. “We have a lot to cover before we all leave tomorrow.”

They started to get up and follow Erica to the fairy circle, but El made sure to help Caesar sit up first, gave him some water Dustin handed to her. He’d just received a great amount of power, and he might be feeling a little dizzy.

“I can help out,” Lexi was saying as they went, leaving Dustin, Lucas and El with Yí. “Since I’m staying for now.”

“Here, dude,” Lucas offered some clothes. “Sorry if they’re a bit big.”

With calmer, yet still shaky fingers, Caesar traded the bottle of water for the clothes and felt the fabric between his fingers. El had so many things to ask him and so little time to do so, but she was glad they were the ones to find him, and that before them, Holly and Erica did and took good care of him.

Teo was right and so was her gut, he was a good kid. With the right training, he could do great things, just like she was trying to do.

“You can get up, right?” she asked, noticing a scar on his leg almost fully healed. The boy nodded and El smiled. “Good. Getting back up is the best way to fight back. You’ll do great, as long as you keep getting back on your feet, no matter how much it hurt.”

“I know,” Caesar said, his voice a lot clearer now.

El liked his posture.

Finally, something new arrived in Hawkins for the best.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- The creature they met, Swipeuteo - or just Teo -, is actually a kelpie, not a mermaid, and it might or might not be inspired by Jo Yoonwoo's killer looks in [Hwarang](https://i2.wp.com/kpopstuff.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/korean-kdrama-actor-jo-yoon-woo-hwarang-character-poster-historical-hairstyles-for-guys-kpopstuff.jpg?ssl=1) ([here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJ2tOHFhssE)'s a video too)  
> \- I actually don't know any Chinese or Korean, so I'm sorry if I messed those words up, the internet is not very reliable
> 
> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos are appreciated.  
> I hope to see you all soon! :D

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos are more than welcome ^^ See you soon!


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